tpg, Innovation Trailblazers
tpg studies and implements innovative solutions to promote access to mobility for all and offer mobility while respecting sustainable development. For many years, we have been committed to the common effort to address the planet's pressing challenges. That's why innovation is a key part of our Cap2030 corporate strategy. Our challenge is to offer sustainable mobility while making the travel experience simple and enjoyable.
TOSA, innovating to provide mobility in Geneva
Deployed in 2018 on Line 23, the TOSA (Trolleybus Optimisation Power System) bus is the first 100% electric, rechargeable battery-powered, large-capacity articulated bus system that is environmentally friendly while also providing wide-range city service. This technology has put Geneva and Switzerland on the map in terms of sustainable mobility innovation.
Automated vehicles
From 2018 to 2022, tpg participated in the European project AVENUE (Autonomous Vehicles to Evolve to a New Urban Experience), which allowed for experimentation with automated driving technologies. The minibuses deployed in this context were capable of driving automatically in traffic without the intervention of a driver. Operating on an on-demand service basis, these vehicles did not follow a fixed route and did not adhere to a precise timetable.
Today, building on the lessons learned from this first experience, tpg continues its commitment to various new European research projects funded by Horizon Europe, including ULTIMO, which aims to integrate automated vehicles into on-demand transport services, and AutoTrust, which focuses on safety, accessibility and incident detection on board. Through these two projects, the tpg, as true pioneers, are experimenting with the mobility of tomorrow. The challenge is to assess how these innovative services can, in the future, complement our existing public transport network, particularly in areas where demand is more diffuse.
The ULTIMO project
Today, automated vehicles have been tested in numerous projects, but their large-scale deployment in shared and commercially viable fleets is not yet a reality in Europe.
The ULTIMO project, co-founded by the European Union and the Swiss Confederation, aims to overcome this hurdle by adopting a comprehensive approach. Its objective is to sustainably integrate automated vehicles into public transport, with on-demand services, for more sustainable, accessible and inclusive mobility.
To achieve this goal, a fleet of 15 automated vehicles is being deployed across three pilot sites in Europe; Oslo (Norway), Herford (Germany) and Geneva. These pilot sites are testing innovative services to improve passenger experience and safety.
The ULTIMO project draws on past experiences to overcome economic and technical obstacles. Its consortium brings together many players to guarantee interoperability between systems, reduce costs and maximize security. Lessons learned from previous projects are integrated from the outset, in order to optimize the technical and societal impact, both now and well after the end of the project.
Geneva , among the three pilot cities
Geneva was selected along with two other pilot cities, Oslo and Herford. Indeed, they have all the traffic and road development characteristics of large cities and has the advantage of having its public transport network managed for the most part by a single operator, tpg.
Objectives of the ULTIMO project
The project aims to test automated vehicles that communicate with each other and with different infrastructures (traffic lights, traffic control center, etc.), to offer safer, more flexible, and financially viable transport and delivery services, with a gradual transition. Several objectives are set:
- Testing shared transport and logistics services , on a real scale and with vehicles of different brands, across several European sites.
- Facilitating the connection between automated vehicles, on-demand mobility applications and infrastructure (ultra-precise maps, traffic lights, road signs), through open software gateways.
- Enhance passenger safety and comfort through automated services (assistance, alerts, information) and improved coexistence with other road users.
- Develop viable economic models that benefit all stakeholders (carriers, operators, communities).
- Plan a gradual and realistic transition to integrate these automated vehicles into our long-term mobility and logistics systems.
Faced with population growth and the emergence of new, less well-served peri-urban and industrial areas, the TPG network (trams, buses, trolleybuses) must constantly adapt. To meet these needs, the TPG already offer tpgFlex , an on-demand transport service that allows passengers to reach a regular stop or to travel within a defined area.
The European project ULTIMO is injecting a fleet of 15 automated and electric vehicles into the tpgFlex service itself. Deployed over an area of 113 km² combining countryside, villages and industrial zones, this specific offer operates without fixed routes or schedules: passengers book their journey via an application, with dynamic routes and carpooling between passengers making similar journeys.
Capable of operating in automated mode on 99% of the public network, these shuttles are remotely supervised and connected to the 600 tpg stops. The whole process is 100% automated, from leaving the depot to arriving at the destination – the only human intervention being that of the customer who orders their vehicle via the application.
The Geneva pilot site in figures
Budget, en millions de CHF
Durée
N° 101077587
La Commission européenne
The AutoTrust project
AutoTRUST is another European research project, funded by the Horizon Europe program. It brings together 14 partners from 10 countries around a common ambition: to make automated mobility an inclusive, accessible and resilient service for all. The focus is on the most vulnerable groups, such as people with reduced mobility, using artificial intelligence to adapt vehicles to their needs. The objective is to strengthen trust, safety and robustness of interactions between users and automated transport systems, regardless of their age or abilities.
In concrete terms, in Geneva, tpg will integrate AutoTRUST's advances into their automated shuttles operated within the framework of the ULTIMO project. An embedded algorithm analyzes the passenger compartment in real time to detect critical situations – illnesses, conflicts between passengers or acts of vandalism – and quickly alert a supervisor. This technology acts like an electronic "watchful eye", allowing for rapid intervention while respecting the privacy of travelers.
As with the ULTIMO project, data protection is rigorous here. The algorithm does not identify passengers: it does not process colors or faces. Images and sounds are analyzed on board, without continuous transmission. Only a temporary memory of about ten seconds is kept and only a very short extract can be transmitted to a supervisor in case of an alert. Access to this information is strictly reserved for authorized tpg staff, in full respect of privacy. While ULTIMO focuses on dynamic fleet management and driverless journeys, AutoTRUST complements the system by guaranteeing safety and accessibility on board, so that every passenger, including the most vulnerable, can travel with complete peace of mind.
Learn more about projects funded by the Horizon Europe program:
Connected stops for a better passenger experience
One of tpg’s priorities is the comfort of passengers at all times during their travel. With this in mind, we are designing a smart, connected bus stop model. This goal tackles two concepts. On the one hand, it is about improving passenger experience at this point of contact with public transport through additional services made possible by new technologies. On the other hand, it provides tpg with the tools we need to better adapt our services. Within the framework of this digital transformation project, we collaborate with partners such as the HES of Geneva.
Elements of this groundbreaking stop will soon be unveiled to the public. If the tests prove conclusive, deployment of connected stops on the network will then be considered. The evolution of the more than 600 bus shelters in the network, which are controlled by the various municipalities, represents a major challenge; however, this is also an opportunity for more cooperation between the municipalities and tpg.